


Chemical dependency

by katiebuttercup



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Pre-Canon, Pre-Series, Sherlock Has A Crush, pre sherlolly
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 16:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,177
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11763966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/katiebuttercup/pseuds/katiebuttercup
Summary: Eurus and Mycroft are desperate to keep Sherlock from spiraling down a dark hole but Eurus isn't a fan of Mycroft's solution





	1. Chapter 1

BBC owns it all

"This is a bad idea," Eurus says as she paces in front of Mycroft's desk. 

Mycroft regards her from the other side, both physically and metaphorically the distance Mycroft imposes on himself and his siblings. For once Eurus is greatful for the space she can't promise that she wouldn't try to strangle Mycroft were he any closer. 

"Sherlock needs a purpose for his gifts, Lestrade has promised to consult with him if anything comes up and he'll need access to the lab for his experiments"

It's logical if Sherlock had a distraction he wouldn't have to turn to drugs, they might be able to keep Sherlock from spiralling further before he was beyond their grasp. 

Mycroft leans back in his chair, the leather creaks as he does so. 

"Besides Sherlock likes her,"

Eurus raises a dubious eyebrow. "He said that?"

"No but it's obvious, one of the few benefits of the drugs is that he is truthful."

"He was flirting?" Eurus knew how charming Sherlock could be even high, and her brother wasn't above using his charm to get what he wanted. 

"After a fashion, he deduced that she had recently parted from her fiancé. And then she hit him."

Eurus laughs, she can't help it; sweet little Molly Hooper hitting her brother is the best thing she's heard in a while. She doesn't need any more information to know Sherlock deserved it.

She adores her older brother, there is a sweetness in him, a gentleness. But she is not blind to his faults, and like all the Holmes's siblings those faults tended to be explosive. 

"Did Molly say she wanted to work with Sherlock?"

"She refused to work with him until he was sober and that she had evidence of such"

Eurus admires Molly's grit, she hides it beneath her cheerful cardiagans and smiles but she knows that Sherlock has met his match in the tiny pathologist.

"So to get what he wants Sherlock had to clean up?"

"Indeed," Mycroft says, "and if he can win Molly Hooper on the way---well all the better,"

"When have any of us managed to have a relationship?" Eurus scoffs. Mycroft looks at her; really looks. 

"You know that Sherlock is different then us-softer--more emotional" 

Eurus thinks back on Sherock's recent interactions with Lestrade with the hospital and thinks no one else would agree with her brother's assessment.

"At the moment he's a smack head," 

"Indeed," Mycroft's tone has a bitter note. He gathers his notes and Eurus knows she's being dismissed. 

"You really think Sherlock likes Molly?"

"Who knows? Either way she'll be a good influence on our brother"

"The moment he crosses a line or upsets Molly it's over!" Eurus insists. It's taken a long time for a Eurus to trust Molly but she does so unconditionally. After years of isolation and loneliness Eurus finally thought she had found a true friend who wasn't put off by her eccentricities. 

She wouldn't jeopardise Molly's happiness, not even for her brother. 

"Lets hope it doesn't come to that," Mycroft says finally. 

Eurus leaves feeling slightly better. After months of hauling Sherlock out of drug dens, lying to their parents about Sherlock's addictions Eurus felt at the end of her rope. But maybe, just maybe this plan would work. 

She could only hope.


	2. Chapter 2

It's a good night. 

Sherlock's mood tended to swerve from happily obnoxious to downright scary in a heartbeat, he turned from sweet to caustic in a moment.So far the only victims of Sherlock's wrath had been Eurus and Mycroft, and they were much better at dealing with it then most people. 

Tonight Sherlock is all smiles, high as a kite but full of laughter and jokes, it reminds Eurus of a Sherlock who she had grown up with. Sherlock had always wanted to be a pirate but Eurus saw him as a white knight- although his armour was distinctly more rusty nowadays. 

Sherlock is in the middle of deducing when he abruptly spins and walks back the way he came. Eurus takes a long draught of her Starbucks coffee. Whatever word Sherlock had decided to write Eurus was sure it was going to be rude. She'll text an apology to Mycroft later. 

Sherlock buys her chips--the sweetness showing under the layers of drugs he's taking. No matter what he'll always be her brother, are can't give up on him, she won't. And neither can Mycroft, for all his discipline and outward indifference. 

It takes her a moment to realise that Sherlock has shifted from deducing a letter given to him by a client to deducing Molly Hooper.

"Young enough, alone, practical about death"

He could be describing himself Eurus thinks. She drinks from her straw to stop herself from mentioning it. 

"She was wearing lipstick and then she wiped it off. It was an approvement her mouth is too small now."

How personal. 

Sherlock usually deleted such deductions once he'd made them. Was Molly part of his mind palace? 

There was always a reason Sherlock kept such information, if only to manipulate the person later but Eurus couldn't think of a reason why Sherlock would keep the information. It seemed the drugs had loosened his tongue and his inhibitions, Sherlock rarely fixated on one person, after he had found their weak spots he moved on. Apparently there was no getting past Molly Hooper. 

Eurus wrestles with herself, Molly is a grown, competent woman but there is something about Sherlock, from an objective point of view he is good looking. There is something compelling about him and yes the vulnerability that he hid beneath a layer of ice. 

But Molly had seen the Sherlock Eurus knows, it's the reason why she's agreed to try to get Sherlock sober. The brother Eurus loves and not this messed up junkie. 

Sherlock continues blithely, happily unaware that he is unwittingly showing the heart he swore he didn't have. 

Eurus still had reservations, Sherlock may be more in touch with his emotions then either Mycroft or herself but that doesn't mean he knows how to treat a woman like Molly like she deserves. 

"I'm thinking about rehab,"

It comes out of the blue. Eurus stops short and stares at her brother. His handsome face turned away from her. He looks unbearingly young despite the several days growth of facial hair. 

Eurus's heart kicks against her chest, hope flares anew. This was the first time Sherlock had proactively asked for help. 

"Really?"

"If I want to be a consulting detective and access to the lab I have little choice" Sherlock says acidly.

It's too early to be this happy, Eurus knows. Rehab had been tried and faliled before. But it was better then the black hole they had all been circuling for months, waiting for Sherlock to hit bottom, or ask for help, and in Eurus's nightmares, to die. 

It's too early to hope but Eurus does it anyway. While Sherlock devours his own fish and chip dinner, Eurus texts Mycroft.

Sherlock pretends not to notice.


End file.
